AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE
REPRESENTATIVES OF THE GOVERNMENT OF THE BOLIVARIAN REPUBLIC
OF VENEZUELA AND THE POLITICAL AND SOCIAL GROUPS SUPPORTING
IT, AND THE COORDINADORA DEMOCRÁTICA
AND THE POLITICALAND CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS SUPPORTING
IT

1.We, the
undersigned members of the Forum for Negotiation and
Agreement, representing the national government and the
political and social groups supporting it, as well as the
political and civil society organizations comprising the
Coordinadora Democrática, hereby sign this Agreement in a
spirit of tolerance, in order to contribute to strengthening
the climate of peace in the country. It is in this spirit
that we reaffirm the principles and mechanisms that brought
us to this table, as set forth in the Executive Summary
agreed by the parties from the time it was established, as
well as our conviction with regard to finding a
constitutional, peaceful, democratic, and electoral
solution.

2.We
express our full adherence to and respect for the
Constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela The
rule of law is based on respect for this Constitution and
for the legal system that underpins it. The Constitution
envisions a system of values and norms to govern fundamental
principles of social and political coexistence, and
establishes mechanisms for reconciling differences. Any
change in response to recent experiences with the political
process should be based on these norms and should preferably
be made through consensus.

3.
We are aware that at this historic moment, we
must agree upon fundamentals for ensuring a participatory,
pluralist, robust and genuinely representative democracy,
where we shall continue to have room for all, and where
social justice, tolerance, equal opportunity, the rule of
law and democratic coexistence are the essential values.We are aware that these values must be held
above any political or partisan strife and that they must
guide policy, especially in areas where there is a
preponderant social interest.

4. We wish to state
our conviction that Venezuela and the Venezuelan people will
continue along the path of democracy, with a sense of
fraternity, respect for the beliefs of each and every
Venezuelan, and the desire for reconciliation.

5 We are aware that
our society must consolidate pluralism, as embodied in the
Constitution, where policy exercised by all actors in
national life is consistent with the values of the
Constitution. Venezuela needs the cooperation of all to
continue along the path of peace and democracy, so that each
and everyone may express his or her ideas, adopt his or her
respective position, and choose from among the various
political options that exist.

6. We express our
adherence to the principles enshrined in the Inter-American
Democratic Charter, which proclaims the right of peoples to
live in democracy and the obligation of governments and all
citizens to promote and defend it. In light of the
provisions of Article 6 of the Constitution of the
Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela concerning participatory
democracy, all sectors share the values set forth therein
–such as those that advocate that power may only be
exercised according to the rule of law; the holding of free,
fair, and transparent elections; the separation and
independence of branches of government; representative
democracy reinforced and enriched by ongoing, ethical, and
responsible citizen participation within a legal framework;
strict respect for human rights, the rights of workers, and
freedom of expression, information, and the press; and the
elimination of all forms of discrimination and intolerance.
Both parties, also recognize the close links between
democracy and the war on poverty, between democracy and
development, and between democracy and the effective
exercise of human rights.

7 We invoke the
principles of the Charter of the Organization of American
States (OAS); the American Convention on Human Rights;
international law as the standard of conduct among states in
their reciprocal relations; respect for sovereignty and the
principle of nonintervention; the principle of
self-determination; the juridical equality of all states;
and the peaceful settlement of disputes.

8 We ratify the
validity of and our full adherence and commitment to the
“Declaration against Violence and for Peace and Democracy”,
signed on February 18, 2003, which should be considered an
integral part of this Agreement.

9. We fully agree that
monopoly on the use of force by the State through the
National Armed Forces and the metropolitan, state, and
municipal police is a basic and inalienable prerogative in
combating violence and guaranteeing the essence of a
democratic state. The role of the police shall be determined
by civilian authorities exercising the powers conferred on
them by the Constitution and the law. This requires full
compliance with the legal provisions and judicial decisions
governing Citizen Safety Coordination. In any event, the
possession of weapons by the police or any other security
force having national, state, or municipal jurisdiction must
be regulated in strict accordance with the law. None of
these forces should be used as an instrument for arbitrary
or excessive repression or to engage in actions that connote
political intolerance.

10. We agree to
undertake a vigorous campaign to effectively disarm the
civilian population, on the basis of the law passed by the
National Assembly, making sovereign use of all mechanisms
and resources provided for therein, and with the technical
support of the international institutions. We, the parties,
shall abide by the conclusions of the Forum for Dialogue
conducted by the National Assembly in its quest for a
consensus plan for disarmament of the civilian population.

11. We urge the
parliamentary groups of opinion represented in the National
Assembly to finalize the law on the formation of the Truth
Commission, to enable it to help shed light on the events of
April 2002 and cooperate with the judicial bodies in
identifying and punishing those responsible.

12. In pursuance of the
objective established in the Executive Summary of seeking
agreement as a means of contributing to resolution of the
crisis in the country through the electoral process, we, the
parties, agree that this resolution of the crisis should be
achieved through application of Article 72 of the
Constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, which
provides for the possible holding of revocatory referenda on
the mandates of all those holding positions and serving as
magistrates as a result of popular election, where they have
served one-half of the term for which they were elected
(governors, mayors, regional legislators and representatives
in the National Assembly), or will have served one-half of
their term in the course of this year, as is the case of the
President of the Republic, in accordance with the judgment
of the Supreme Court of Justice of February 13, 2003. Such
referenda, including those already called for and those that
may be called for in future, will be possible if they are
formally requested by the requisite number of voters and
approved by the new National Electoral Council, once it has
been established that the constitutional and legal
requirements have been met.

13. We agree that it is
essential to have as soon as possible a trustworthy,
transparent and impartial electoral arbiter, to be
designated in the manner prescribed in the Constitution. In
that connection, the work under way in the National Assembly
is considered to be of the utmost importance. We, the two
parties, state our willingness to assist in facilitating
understanding in all matters relating to the formation and
workings of the Electoral Arbiter, without interfering with
the standard procedure being conducted by the National
Legislature.

14. We are committed to
freedom of expression, as enshrined in our constitutional
and legal provisions; to the American Convention on Human
Rights and the Inter-American Democratic Charter. We, the
two parties, intend to work with the public and private
media to promote their espousal of the aims set forth in
this document and in the Declaration against Violence and
for Peace and Democracy. In particular, we intend to work
with the public and private media with a view to quelling
violence and with respect to their role in making citizens
aware, in an equitable and impartial manner, of their
political options, which would contribute significantly to
creating the most conducive climate to the successful
conduct of electoral processes and referenda provided for in
Article 72 of the Constitution.

15. We assume that the
Constitution and laws of the Republic provide for the
appropriate and necessary requirements and mechanisms in
order for the competent Public Authority to proceed with the
timely financing of revocatory referenda and any other
mechanism for popular consultation, which must be conducted
once the admissibility has been confirmed by the competent
public body. With regard to the Republic Plan, this Plan
will be activated in response to a request from the
electoral authorities, under the same terms and conditions
that have applied in previous electoral processes.

16. The OAS, the Carter
Center, and the United Nations have expressed their
willingness to provide such technical assistance as the
competent authorities of the Bolivarian Republic of
Venezuela might request of them for holding any type of
electoral consultation; any such request shall be in
accordance with the principle of law contained in the
Constitution of the Republic. This technical assistance
could range from preparatory or pre-election activities to
actual electoral observation. With regard to direct support
that may be given to the CNE, emphasis should be placed on
the willingness of these three organizations to collaborate
with both human and material resources which they have
offered.

17. Once the pertinent
legal and constitutional requirements have been met, the CNE
shall determine the date for the revocatory referenda
already requested, as well as any that may be requested
later, in an expeditious and timely manner, in accordance
with the Law on Suffrage and Political Participation, and
we, the parties, agree neither to propose nor to promote
amendments to that law.

18 We, the parties,
recognize the support and facilitation provided to this
Forum by the representatives of the OAS, particularly its
Secretary General, by the Carter Center, and by the UNDP,
which, upon the signature of this agreement, constructively
concludes its task. We recognize the importance of the
follow-up work these institutions may conduct in the future
for the execution of this agreement and we intend to
continue to avail ourselves of international assistance.

19Lastly, we, the parties, agree
to establish the joint follow-up body provided for in Article 7
of the Declaration against Violence and for Peace and
Democracy, each appointing two representatives to open
channels of communication and take measures for the
effective fulfillment of the provisions of that Declaration
and of this agreement, maintaining contact with the international
facilitation when the parties consider it
necessary.